Quick-release screw clamp



April 14, 1953 J. BROWNE 2,634,475

QUICK-RELEASE SCREW CLAMP Original Filed Feb. 28, 1946 Jack Eran/n2Patented Apr. 14, 1953 2,634,475 QUICK-RELEASE SCREW CLAMP Jack Browne,Shorewood, Wis., assignor to Diving Equipment and Supply 00., Milwaukee,Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Original application February 28, 1946,Serial No. 650,916. Divided and this application July 20, 1951, SerialNo. 237,757

1 Claim. (Cl. 24-135) This invention relates to clamps and has moreparticular reference to quickly releasable clamps. Clamps of this typehave a wide variety of uses but are particularly well suited for usewith diving dress such as shown and described in my copendingapplication Serial No. 650,916 filed February 28, 1946, now Patent No.2,569,451 and of which this application is a division.

In the aforesaid copending application entry into the diving dress iseffected through a relatively large opening in the back. The back of theshirt portion surrounding the large opening therein has considerablefullness, and after the diver is inside the suit the fullness is bunchedor folded together upon itself and conveniently closed with a fluidtight seal by the clamp of this invention.

It is the general purpose of the invention to provide a clamp havingfixed and movable jaws brought into clamping engagement by means of ascrew but which may be quickly separated to release the same from theirclamping positions without actuation of the clamping screw.

More specifically it is an object of this invention to provide a clampwherein the fixed jaw comprises the bight of a U-shaped bail while themovable jaw comprises a pressure block received between the legs of thebail and constrained thereby to sliding motion toward the fixed jaw uponactuation of a screw connected with the pressure block and threaded intoa latch bar having a quickly releasable connection with the legs of thebail by which it is releasably locked thereto.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of cam typehooks on the latch bar formed by notches opening to the opposite sideedges of the bar and in which reduced portions of the legs of the bailare receivable, the hooks camming the legs of the bail toward oneanother during engagement of the hooks with the reduced portions of thelegs of the bail so that the legs of the bail must likewise be flexedtogether before disengagement of the latch bar from the legs of the bailcan be effected. In this way, the resiliency of the legs of the bail isused to hold the latch bar in position on the clamp to facilitate itsapplication to the articleto be clamped.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel constructionand arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described,andwmore particularly defined by the'appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereinafter disclosed invention may be made as come within the scope ofthe claim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one complete example of thephysical embodiment of the invention constructed in accordance with thebest mode so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof. and in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of the clamp of this invention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken through Figure 1 along theplane of the line 2-2;

Figure 2a, is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the manner in whichthe legs of the clamp are momentarily cammed together by the act ofengaging the latch bar with the same; and

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken through Figure 1 along theplane of the line 3-3.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing in whichlike numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, theclamp of this invention comprises generally fixed and movable jaws 5 and6, respectively, a screw 1 for propelling the movable jaw toward thefixed jaw, and a latch bar 8 in which the screw is threaded, for quicklyreleasing the movable jaw.

The fixed jaw 5 preferably comprises the bight of a U-shaped bail, andextends transversely across and rigidly joins the legs ill of the bailto hold the same in opposite spaced apart substantially parallelrelationship. While the U- shaped bail is preferably, although notnecessarily, bent up from round bar stock of substantial thickness toinsure rigidity of the bight or fixed jaw 5, it is neverthelessimportant that the legs ill have a length such as to enable them to beflexed slightly toward one another for a purpose to be hereinafter morefully described.

The movable jaw or pressure block 6 is in the nature of a crossheadslidably confined between the legs I!) by means of tongue and grooveconnections which in the present case are readily provided by grooves l2in the opposite side edges of the block to receive the inner cylindricalsurfaces of the legs ll! of the ball, with a slight amount of clearancebetween the inner sides of the legs and the bottoms of the grooves. Atitsbottom the block is preferably made concave as indicated at [3,although it may have any desired shape to suit the type of article to beclamped between itand the stationary jaw 5.

The pressure applying screw '1 is joined to the movable jaw B by aconnection precluding axial motion of the jaw relative to the screw butpermitting the screw to rotate freely with respect to the jaw. For thispurpose the screw has its end portion turned down to provide an annularshoulder 14.:toengage the fiattopsurface of the, block and a spool.shaped extremity I5 rotatablyreceived in a bore l6 opening to the top ofthe block medially between the grooved side edges of the block. The neckI! provided by the groove.

which the. opposite ends of the latch bar are re.

ceived to hold the same against motion lengths wise of the legs of theclamp. While. not essential, the inner shoulder preferably is chamferedslightly as indicated in Figure 1'.

The. latch bar 8 is threaded onto the pressure screw '1, which passesthrough the mid portionof the bar. Hence, when the ends of the latch barare engaged between the shoulders 29 and 2| on the outer ends of thelegs i ii of the clamp, the; screweis in. effect connected to the legsof the clamp, and when turned by its handle 22, clock= wise with a righthand thread on the screw as seen in Figure 1, the screw propels themovable jaw 6 toward the stationary jaw 5. Clamping reaction of the,movable jaw, of course, is carried back to the outer shoulders 21 on thelegs of the clamp, through the screw and the, latch bar.

One of the features of the clamp of this invention, however, resides inthe readily releasable connection provided between the ends of the latchbar and the legs of the clamp at. their turned down portions !9. Part ofthis connection is provided by the engagement of the. shoule ders 2.11and 21 at the ends of the reduced portion IS with the opposite faces ofthe bar to preclude motion thereof lengthwise of the legs lu It is alsoimportant, however, that, this readily releasable connection provideassurance against accidental movement of the ends of the bar out of the.spaces between the shoulders 20 and 2|,

For this purpose, the bar is provided with hooks 23. on its oppositeends, formed by notches 24 opening laterally to the opposite side edgesof thebar. These hooks are so shaped and spaced radially from the axisof the screw 1 that'they must. be snapped over the reduced portions 19on the legs It during clockwise rotation of the bar 8 upon the screw,with the movable jaw it, of course, properly engaged between the. legsIQ. Accordin ly, the outer extremities of the hooks 23 are curved backslightly toward the screw 1 and have cam surfaces 25 thereon. to engagethe outer surfaces of the reduced portions is as the ends of the latchbar are simultaneously swung 7 having reduced neck portions near thThus, when the latch bar is in its operative position in which itsopposite ends are hooked around the reduced portions [9 on the legs ofthe bail, between the shoulders 20 and 2| defined thereby, the reducedportions l9 are disaligned; from; the exits of the; apertures 26 provideby the, notches 24, with the result that the latch bar cannot beaccidentally swung out of its operative position. Release of the latchbar, of course may be readily accomplished by grasping the outer endportions of the legs of the bight and pressing themtoward one another,such flexure of the legs being possible by reason of the clearancebetween them and the opposite grooved sides of the movable jaw 6 betweenthe legs.

The clamp Of this invention can be very quickly released from anyarticle clamped thereby merely by swinging the latch bar in acounterclockwise direction, while pressure is exerted on the legs of thebail to align the turned down portions 19 with the exits. from theaperture 26. With the latch bar unhooked from the legs at; the. U-shapedball the movable jaw Bmay be slidaway from the stationary jaw 5, and infact lie-s moved completely from the legs of the bight aslong as. thelegs are of uniform diameter or no, greater at their outer extremitiesthan along the areas thereoi normally embracing the movable,

It is. noteworthy that the notches 2 4 in the latch bar open to thoseside edges, thereof: which require clockwise rotationof the bar onthemes sure screw 1 for engagement on the hooked ends. of the latch bararound the turned down portions, 19 of the legs of the bail. Withthisdisposition of the notches, the clockwise rotation of thepresa surescrew to propel the jaw 6 toward the stationa v jaw 5 tends t ld thelatc ba p operly engaged around the turned down portions, l. 9..

Wherever there is danger of injuring the article or other means clampedbetween the jaws .5 and '6, it is desirable to employ some means, forproe tecting the clamped means or material. This, is. especially truefor use of the clamp of this invention with diving suits to close theentrance p n n t t e suits, and. where the waterproof. material fromwhich th suit is made may be. damaged or out if itis contacted directlyby both the stationary and movable jaws of. the clamp, To. preclude suchdamage. a leather strap 2'8 having apertures 23 therein to receive thelegs of the U-shap d bail, may be interposed b t een thev sta y d m v blaws. as. illustrated in Fig: ure

m t for go n description. taken together with the, accompanying drawingit will be, readily apparent to those skilled in the art, that thisinvention provides a strong clamping device which may be quickly appliedto or released from the material .or other means to be. clamped.

What I claim as my'invention is:

A quickly releasable clamp comprising: a U-shaped bail having straightsubstantially par-@- allel legs resiliently flexible toward one another;a pressure block having elongated substantially parallel grooves in twoopposite side edges thereof substantially conformin in shape to theinner sides of the legs or the bail'and in which the inner sides of thelegs or" the bail are received to constrain the pressure block totranslatory sliding movementalong the length of the legs and provide adetachable connection between the bail and the lock by'which th block;may be readily slid 01% of and onto the legs of the bail; said legs endsproviding spaced opposing shoulders on each leg; a crosspiece; a hook oneach end of the crosspiece to hook around the reduced neck portions ofthe legs, said hooks defining a pair of notches having their mouthsopening laterally to opposite marginal edges of the crosspiece, and thenotches having their inner portions offset away from one another withrespect to their mouths, so that upon rotation of the crosspiece aboutan axis parallel to and midway between the legs the legs are cammedtoward one another as their reduced portions enter the mouths of thenotches, Whereby the legs must be flexed together upon engagement anddisengagement of the crosspiece with the legs, and said crosspiecehaving a, thickness so as to be freely received between said opposingshoulders on each of the legs when the reduced neck portions thereof areengaged in the notches of the crosspiece; a screw threaded in a hole inthe crosspiece with its axis parallel to and medially between the legswhen the crosspiece is in engaged position upon the reduced neck por- 6tions of the legs; and a freely rotatable but nonlongitudinally movableconnection between the screw and the pressure block by which the lattermay be propelled toward the bight of the U-shaped bail upon rotation ofthe screw in one direction in said crosspiece.

JACK BROWNE'.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 475,115 Inglesby May 17, 1892 480,810 Downie Aug. 16, 18922,147,160 Hagist Feb. 14, 1939 2,265,911 Landmeier Dec. 9, 19412,506,010 Berkenmaier May 2, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date853,787 France Mar. 28, 1940

